Ke Kuapa 'o Maxwelton Creek

 A month before Pete and I did the final preparations to move ourselves and our vardo from Camp Bamboo to Ke Kuapa 'o Maxwelton Creek I enrolled in Oli Honua I a month-long online training in Hawaiian Life Ways from the vantage point of oli, vocalization, or chanting.  My teacher is Kekuhi Kealiikanakaole, of Panaewa, in Hilo, Hawai'i, master kumu hula/teacher, and audacious communicator committed to using the technology available through the energy of internet to empower a universe of chanters with big aloha by embracing the Hawai'i Life Ways.  "Hula & oli teaches that we are reflections of every big & little being in the world. If we dance, they dance. When we sing to them, they sing back.  And when we chant the vibrations of the cosmos, guess what?  They chant BACK!" - "About Hawai'i Life Ways" E LONO E One of the oli we were taught during the weeks of Oli Honua I is the chant E Lono E.  This is a prayer chant, and calls on the senses of a...

The lovely and loving meal with our friends who shared their hearts, their space and their delicious food was a sweet and significant shift in our safety pin sort of life. Safety pins are wonderful tools: moveable and small magic.  But, sometimes the need for connection that is more binding is the right new, next step. We give thanks for all the safety pins along the way! Above, are our human friends, Dan, Steph, and Jude. Our more than human friends in the videos are: Eclipse, The Hens, The Goats, and the many many tree and plant people of Camp Bamboo.   Pete and I are settling into the land we call Ke Kuap a 'o Maxwelton Creek the wall surrounding the water of Maxwelton Creek. With help from Kekuhi Kealiikanakaole and her "audacity" to teach Hawaiian lifeways and oli on the internet, the naming of this space was given a little bit of grammatical correction so I could call out to the land when Pete and I pulled up with our vardo for two.  Before assuming we are welcome,...